The Mississippi Legislature is considering a law which would ban racial profiling in Mississippi (the ACLU has this information describing racial profiling).  The proposed legislation would impose a fine up to $1,000.00 and/or prison sentence up to 1 year upon officers who engage in racial profiling and would require law enforcement agencies to "keep accurate records of all traffic stops and detentions identifying the reasons for the stops and the race of the person being stopped or detained."

The Clarion Ledger has this article - some excerpts:

Several Mississippians told a state House panel Tuesday they had been victims of racial profiling and asked legislators to toughen laws against the practice.

Two metro-area police chiefs testified they believe racial profiling is occurring in the state, while Jackson's chief questioned the need for legislators' involvement.

"A lot of folks think just because they've not experienced it, it doesn't exist," said House Judiciary B Committee chairman Willie Bailey, D-Greenville.

Mississippi is one of about 25 states with no law on racial profiling. Others have laws that define the practice, and some mandate that law enforcement keep traffic stop records that include the race of those who are stopped and searched by police.

Ridgeland Police Chief Jimmy Houston, who is white, and Canton Police Chief Robert Winn, who is black, both testified they believe racial profiling is a problem in Mississippi.

"We can't deny the fact that it's happening," said Winn, whose own department faced allegations of profiling in 2004 when an officer was accused of shaking down Hispanic residents for money. The officer eventually pleaded guilty to extortion.

Houston said he has conducted two officer investigations in the past six months related to profiling. "The last one has resulted in the dismissal of a young officer," he said.